updated 08:50 pm EDT, Thu October 21, 2010

Tablet to sell for $799

HP has provided Electronista additional details and exclusive photos of its Slate 500 tablet, which was finally made official earlier in the day. The Atom-powered device will ship with Windows 7 Professional, geared for enterprise customers rather than the consumer market. The company has also confirmed that both of the dual cameras record VGA video at 23-25fps, while the back sensor captures 3-megapixel stills.

The 1.86GHz processor is paired with a Broadcom video accelerator, capable of decoding HD video in 720p resolution. The display does not present video in native 720p resolution, however, but rather in 1024x600 or 1024x768 resolutions. Users can also attach an external display via HDMI (built into the doc), or take advantage of dual USB ports and an SD slot.

Onboard storage is limited to a 64GB SSD, while customers are limited to 2GB of DDR2 memory that ships with the basic tablet. Users requiring access to DVDs or CDs can attach an optional optical drive to the USB ports.

Aside from finger input, the device also integrates an N-Trig digitizer that supports input from an included stylus. The package will also include a case and dock for holding the tablet angled in landscape orientation.

A lithium polymer battery powers the Atom chipset, allowing users to reach a claimed five hours of runtime.

HP will ship the business-oriented Slate 500 for $799 starting tonight. While the device is targeted at business customers, it will also be available to the general public.

Showcasing what should be in iPad Gen2?

Not sure if any of this is vapor, but it certainly shows what are 'must-have' features on any tablet device; camera, USB ports and a backplate that's not as slick as a sheet of ice. Considering its size, $800 is a tad steep. There have been postings that Apple has room to move pricing south on the iPads. If HP and Microsoft are going to make any impact longterm, they are going to have to start at the $500 price point.

Which brings the point of entrepreneurship? Which company will succeed in the long run? The one that commits to building 10 million units on a brand new product or the one that commits to build 9,000?

I do hope that Apple addresses these shortcomings in the next generation iPad. If not, devices like the Slate may gain an unshakable foothold in the tablet segment. Could this be the Windows 3.0 of the tablet wars?